About

The Advent Storybook

$19,388

pledged of $18,500 goal

121

backers

The Advent Storybook: 25 Bible Stories Showing Why Jesus Came contains 25 beautifully illustrated stories that can be read aloud as a family each day in December. Beginning with creation, the stories journey chronologically through ancient history, tracing God’s recurring promise to rescue us.

Each story is clear and simple, written with 4-to-8-year-olds in mind, and is accompanied by a vivid, engaging illustration.

Our goal is to make the book available by November 2018.

***If we don't meet our goal, we will re-launch in early January 2018. Visit adventstorybook.com for updates on the pending contract/partnership with a publishing house as well as the date of re-launch. After re-launch, we will post the new Kickstarter campaign link at adventstorybook.com***

The Story

In the beginning, everything was good—there was no death, suffering, or evil. People were perfectly happy living in a beautiful Garden full of everything they could need. They were friends with each other, with their good Creator, and with all of creation.

But a terrible enemy crept into their Garden of light, laughter, and life. He whispered lies to the first man and woman, and when they believed those lies and defied their good Creator, everything shattered.

Fear, evil, and death entered both the world and people, and we still feel the darkness today.

But all was not lost.

The Creator spoke a promise: One day, He would send a Son to crush the head of the lying serpent and end evil forever. One day, He would return and begin to make all things good and new again, like they were in the beginning!

The Advent Storybook traces, through the centuries, God’s recurring promise to send this Rescuer. The birth of Jesus, the Promised Son, is the reason we celebrate Christmas!

Story Format

The stories include well-known characters such as Abraham, Joseph, Ruth, Jonah, and Daniel. The focus of each story, however, is not on them—it is on showing the beauty of God’s grace in rescuing people and restoring our ability to love and know we are loved.

The first illustrations are in full-color, portraying the beauty and goodness God created us to enjoy. Then, when everything shatters on Day 3, they transition to mostly black and white with just a hint of color. This contrast helps illustrate how both people and the world are broken but we still have hope because of Jesus, our Rescuer.

The final illustrations on Day 25 are once again in full color, showing the climax and fulfillment of all our hopes and dreams in the arrival of the Promised Son.

A couple of years ago, I decided to start a new Christmas tradition we could do each year as a family. I wanted a way to create fun memories we’d all cherish, and I wanted something that would focus our attention on Jesus.

I started looking but just couldn’t find anything that was exactly right. My main criteria included:

Easily understood by young children

Historically accurate

Clear and simple

Focused on Jesus and grace

And that’s how The Advent Storybook was born! I wrote it last year for my own kids—there were days that I was hurriedly typing up the story for that day the night before (or even the day of)! We read each rough draft of the 25 stories together, and my oldest son (3 years old at the time) loved it. He looked forward to the family time each night, and I did, too.

This past summer, I started feeling like God wanted me to publish it and share the story of Jesus’ rescue and grace with other children and families. I started researching, found an illustrator I loved, talked with a publishing house, found an experienced editor, and evaluated printing press options. Matt and I finally settled on publishing it ourselves through the wonderful community of Kickstarter!

The Author: Laura Richie

Laura is a wife; mom to 3 young children; and a registered nurse. She grew up in church (and spent several years in different countries as a missionary kid), but she didn’t really understand Jesus or her own need to be rescued until her mid-20’s. Before then, she tried very hard to be good enough for God and for everyone else. When she finally realized that she could never be good enough--and that Jesus came for that very reason-- her striving ceased and her dancing began!

The Illustrator: Ian Dale

Ian is an illustrator and designer for children's media (www.iandale.net). As an art student he came to faith in the promised rescuer, and his world was turned upside down! Ian loves to invest himself in projects that share the hope and meaning that have transformed his own life. He has created Biblically-oriented illustrations for clients such as World Vision, The American Bible Society, Compassion International, Deep Blue Kids, and OneHope. Ian was an artist for the widely-enjoyed Bible App for Kids, an interactive storybook app downloaded millions of times in over 30 languages. He and his wife have a one-year-old daughter and look forward to many fun storytimes together!

The Advent Storybook Team

So far, the team working to bring this book to life includes:

me (Laura Richie), the author

my fantastic editor, also named Laura (who has been an editor for over 20 years)

Now, we’d love it if you could join the team and help us make this dream a reality!

Remember, Kickstarter uses all-or-nothing funding—if you pledge money but we don’t reach our initial goal, no money changes hands and no book is created. If we reach our initial goal, on the other hand, you will join our team and we’ll all create something new to enjoy together and share with the world!

Stretch Goals

If we reach our initial goal, we have some exciting ideas for stretch goals! These include:

Additional illustrations to make the book even more beautiful and engaging for little ones

The creation of an ornament to accompany each day’s story (Ian is designing the ornaments, and everyone will have access to a digital, printable download even if we don’t reach this additional goal)

Donating copies of books to libraries and organizations that help kids in need

Translating the book into other languages, enabling children all over the world to hear the story of Jesus' rescue

Where is the Money Going?

The money you give will be used as follows:

Illustrations/Layout/Ornament Design: 59.5%

Printing Press: 28%

Other Rewards: 4.5%

Kickstarter/Stripe Fees: 8%

**If you live outside of the United States, please contact us about shipping fees. We're definitely open to international shipping**

Risks and challenges

Once we reach our initial goal, we'll have the necessary resources to create the book and fulfill all pledge rewards. We're planning to have everything printed, shipped, and delivered by November 2018. We should have plenty of time to deliver everything within the proposed timeline, but unexpected delays may arise. If delays do happen, we'll keep you updated!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 5,000 or more
About US$ 5,000

Custom Artwork + Everything Else

Receive a custom digital painting by our illustrator Ian, extra signed hardcovers, extra paperbacks, a set of signed fine art prints, and lots of Christmas cards.

The commissioned digital painting by the illustrator will be based on your family photo (up to 6 people maximum) OR a biblical scene of your choice. You’ll receive the artwork as a high quality 16x20 canvas print, along with a digital copy you can reproduce further.

Your 1-3 sentence written dedication will be approved then included with your name inside the actual Advent Storybook.